Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1887-02-23
A NIGHT In A CHURCH.

back from Richmond toward Williamsburg,
along the Old Stage Read, when l was
overtaken by storm. 1t was late in Sep
TENDER, and the weather had been delight
full; but on this evening it had gathered up
with threatenings Of an equinoctial tenn
pest, and had turned quite chilly. push
ed on, hoping to make my next stopping
place before the rain began to fail, but by
nightfall it became suddenly very dark,
and the lightning and thunder were terrific
The first big drops were beginning to fall,
and I thought no escape from long ride
in drenching rain was possible, when a
fash of lightning showed me an old
ruined church, not far from the road. l
put my horse into gallop, and reached it
Just as the rain became violent. There
was no door, and not only entered myself,
but led my horse in, hoping to keep him
and the saddle dry until the STERN had
blown over.
The roof was ruinous, and the glare of
the lightning shone through. There was
no glass in the windows, and it was not
easy to fud dry place. Yet in one cor
rer, near the door, there was a heap Of dead
leaves, driven iu by the summer winds,
and on these half reclined, looking out at
the storm.
TWAS desolate looking place. In the
churchyard the old messy grave stones lean
ed this way and that, and little pools OF
water began to form in the low places. A
plank from the weather. boarding hung
Down by one nail from the front of the
church and clapped with hollow sound
against the wall. A leafsss old tree bent
over against the house, and with a long
skeleton finger, tapped mysteriously at ths
gable, and seemed to whisper that it could
tell dark things if it would-hideeus, horri
Bile things. l had recently been seriously
sick, and my nerves had not recovered theil
full tone, and somehow the uncanny drear
mess of the place was depressing to me-
If I had not dreaded the effect of long
ride in wet clothes, would have brayec
the tempest rather than submitted to the
gloom that began to press upon me. The
chill blasts of the storm seemed to go to the
marrow Of my bones. 1 reused myself anc
tried to shake off the weird influence of The
place; l recited to myself passages from
''Tam o. Shanter," and the ride eff thai
devil may care hero by the witch b auntec
Church of Alloway, and hummed an ole
college song to keep my spirits up.
Coed Good, what was that?
A low, shuddering cry, mole like terror
than pain, thrilled through the darkness OF
the church. My pulse stood still. l strain
ed my ears, listening for the repetition, bn
ne sound came, except the tapping of the
bony fingers of the old sycamore, and tht
pntter of the rain.
"Nonsense," I said to myself 'sit wal
nothing but the wind m gaming through
some crevice Of the old ruin" knew tba
my nerves were unstrung, but my courage
was not gone.
But my horse was not so easily rebuked
He stood trembling and staring with glass,
eyes into the darkness. Horses see in til,
dark better thaa men, aud my horse saw
something that terrified him. | patted hi
neck and spoke soothingly to him, and hi
soon became quiet. This companienshil
with the horse diverted my thoughts frou
the dreary surroundings aud strengthened
me. looked out at the gale, now at it,
fercest. The lightning was awful. Ever,
one must have Noticed how much more in
tense Is the power of vision during fas'
of lightning than during an equal time o
daylight. 1t is wonderful how much detail
the eye will take in during | of these small
fractions of a second. [ was reading one 0
the gravestones "In Memory off," wbel
from behind another stone, not ia the linz
of vision, ! saw, or thought that saw, on
of the corner of the eye, tail, white fgur'
rise, gibber at me, suddenly stoop down
and disappear. In another flash locke,
directly at the stone, but there was nothin;
there. A dumb chill ran through me.
could not resist it. But ] scorned myself
1t is nothing. l said, but phautasm, Great
ed by my excited nerves. The idea of m,
shuddering at ghost, said, is absurd.
shall laugh at it all tomorrow. have no
the slightest belief in disembodied spirits
nor In witches, nor foul f1ends, and NJ
fancy shall not play me any prank.
While was talking thus TO myself,
heard with startling distinctness, in til
church, passage from an old hymn: